


Optional

by helloyesIamtrash



Series: Inked at Midnight [25]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Epilogue, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending, I love them so much, M/M, Multi, Romantic Soulmates, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates, happy crying, they're all losers, welcome to Oikawa Tooru is bad at feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-21
Updated: 2019-03-21
Packaged: 2019-11-27 04:50:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,339
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18189995
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/helloyesIamtrash/pseuds/helloyesIamtrash
Summary: Though no one knows how or why, at midnight on a person’s 16th birthday, they get writing on their wrist, almost like a tattoo. This writing, whatever it says, has something to do with your soulmate. It’s usually something like the first thing they say to you after it appears, or an inside joke you two will have, maybe a phrase they say a lot. Simply a push in the right direction, fate’s little nudge-nudge wink-wink about what future you have in store.This is the story of how Bokuto and Kuroo realized that they had more than one soulmate!





	Optional

**Author's Note:**

> H E L L O,,, I have returned from the DEPTHS OF MY GRAVE,,, have some of my favorite boys I love them

Though no one knows how or why, at midnight on a person’s 16th birthday, they get writing on their wrist, almost like a tattoo. This writing, whatever it says, has something to do with your soulmate. It’s usually something like the first thing they say to you after it appears, or an inside joke you two will have, maybe a phrase they say a lot. Simply a push in the right direction, fate’s little nudge-nudge wink-wink about what future you have in store. 

Bokuto Koutarou and Kuroo Tetsurou are two people who know this all too well- they met at sixteen, realizing their soulmate status when they spoke to each other, and exchanging numbers in the little corner of a school hallway after taking a standardized test. It had been during the break where students tried and usually failed to find any friends or acquaintances from their school in a foreign one, gave up, and made small talk with someone who looked tolerable. 

That was… kind of how it went for them. See, Kuroo had spotted him the moment they had filed into the room, because firstly, the guy was kind of hard to ignore, what with the spiked hair and wide golden eyes that made it look like he would turn his head a full 180 degrees and squawk at you. Secondly, he was hot. To Kuroo, at least. C’mon, look at those arms, who could really blame him? Plus, he looked as equally frustrated as he was after that math portion. 

“So, problem number seven can kiss my ass.” Kuroo started, sitting down and staring at the beautiful piece of human nature. God, those eyes were gorgeous. Gold and pretty, shimmering brightly from the lights. He looked like he had just been hit by a truck, though, which ruined it a little bit. 

“Dude, gimme your wrist.” He said, grabbing it anyways and holding it up and suddenly, Kuroo understood everything. From that moment on, they were inseparable, two parts of a whole facing the world together. He hadn’t fully understood the concept of soulmates until then. Someone who you could and would fully give your life to without question, trust blindly as you step into the future with their hand in yours. 

Bokuto made everything brighter. He could light up a room with his smile, flitting from place to place with a wide smile and a gleam in his eyes. He bounced off of Kuroo, his ridiculous ideas being matched and upped as they got into trouble together. The together part was more important to them than the trouble part, really. His optimism balanced out Kuroo’s cynicism, and whenever Bokuto had one of his low swings, Kuroo was right there for him so they could work him back up. 

They were a unit, a solid and unbreakable pair. 

“Are you guys ever not attached at the hip?” Sugawara laughed over the roar of the house party, and Bokuto, who was perched happily on Kuroo’s lap as they sat on the couch, shrugged. 

“Nah, we come as a package deal. You get one, you gotta at least deal with the other.” Kuroo replied smoothly- college life had come easily enough for them. Being roommates, for them, was obviously going to happen. They didn’t even really ask each other, Bokuto just brought up that they would need to get an awesome lava lamp for their room once they moved in and that was kind of that. 

“Yeah, and Tetsu makes everything way more fun! Why wouldn’t I wanna go everywhere with him?” Bokuto added on with that happy-go-lucky grin of his. Sugawara just chuckled and sipped on his unidentifiable drink but, because it was in the stereotypical red solo cup, one could easily assume it was alcohol. 

“No, no, I get it. Dai and I are the same way,” He cooed, his eyes going soft and wandering a bit before the former setter perked up. “Speaking of, I think I just spotted him. See you two later!” With that, Suga headed off with a little stumble. 

“I love drunk people-watching.” Kuroo sighed contently- he wasn’t one for drinking. He used to be a champion, mind you, and he could handle his alcohol well, but after his grades had dipped because of a few too many parties, he decided that being a college dropout wasn’t something that really interested him. So, he hit the books instead of the alcohol. He still went to parties, but he’d have maybe a beer. 

“You love people-watching, babe.” Bokuto corrected lovingly, leaning into him as Kuroo’s head settled on his shoulder for a good view. Bokuto had liked drinking far too much for his own good, but what stopped him from going overboard was the fact that he was very much a lightweight and that he hated hangovers with a burning passion. He said that it made his brain feel like it was being pounded by a jackhammer, and therefore Kuroo tended to limit his boyfriend to a few drinks whenever they went out. It was for his own good. 

“This is true.” He chuckled, his arms wrapping around Bokuto’s waist contently as his eyes surveyed those around him. He saw a few familiar faces, like Sugawara and Daichi. He had seen Hinata bouncing around earlier, too, which meant that Kageyama surely wasn’t far behind. What interested Kuroo, however, was the brunet headed vaguely in their direction that he didn’t recognize. 

“Babe, ten o’clock. Brunet.” Kuroo murmured, looking the guy up and down in appreciation. Damn. Dude was hot. 

… What? Even if he was a vegetarian, that didn’t mean he couldn’t appreciate the meat, if you caught his drift. 

Bokuto’s head swiveled over to the direction Kuroo said, and he whistled lowly. “Someone that cute’s gotta be taken.” He agreed solemnly. They were at a point in their relationship where neither of them really unsure or scared when it came to their feelings for each other. They were secure, so why not point out some hotties? More eye candy for them. 

Said eye candy was pretty tall, from what he could see from on the couch. He was stumbling quite a bit, so he was probably pretty drunk, too. His hair was perfectly styled, brown and a little wavy. As he got closer, Kuroo noticed that his eyes were a pretty shade of coffee, though they looked a little hazy. 

Bokuto giggled when the guy walked passed them, but in that exact moment, the guy stumbled and fell right on the couch next to them. It only made Bokuto giggle harder. Kuroo bit his lip to avoid laughing (it would most likely scare the guy, with how out of it he was). Up close, he could see that the brunet had freckles dotting his nose. Fuck. Kuroo had a thing for freckles. The guy groaned a bit, curling up on the couch and laying there for a good while before noticing that there were two other people there. 

“Hey, you okay there?” Kuroo asked with an amused little smirk, watching his eyes clear a little bit as he attempted to focus. 

“Is your hair okay there?” He retorted childishly, his words slurring a bit as his gaze moved to Bokuto. “Your hair isn’t okay there.” He addressed Bokuto this time, and suddenly, Kuroo felt a searing pain on his wrist. He hissed, and Bokuto made a similar noise. 

The drunk guy just laughed, probably thinking that it was his insults that caused the reaction. 

The pain came as quickly as it left, and Kuroo brought his wrist up to his face in sheer confusion, only for it to morph into disbelief. There, right below Bokuto’s bright yellow tattoo, was a new blue one, but the ends looked reddish. The words? 

‘Is your hair okay there?’ 

Glancing at his boyfriend’s wrists, he could see that he also had a new tattoo in a similar color. Bokuto, however, looked more curious than shocked. 

“How many tattoos do you have?” Bokuto asked immediately to the drunk guy, who looked up at them in confusion. 

“Mmm, two. They’re happy without me, though. Wanna keep ‘em happy.” He slurred, clearly deflating a bit. His words were almost bitter, but still resigned. 

“How do you know they’re happy without you?” Kuroo asked, less forceful than Bokuto but still firm. 

“Research. Red tints mean I might not meet ‘em,” He said, his hands drumming on his knees. He refused to look at either of them. “I think they’re together, ‘n stuff. Probably happy.” He paused. “I want another drink.” He tried to get up, but after falling and attempting to get up so suddenly, it probably made him woozy. 

“Whoa there, dude. I think you’ve had one too many. You got anyone who can take you home?” Bokuto said, getting up and sitting him down in a practiced manner. After he had been that person a few too many times, he knew what got through to people who were inebriated. 

“Iwa-chan’s studying. Don’t wanna bother him.” He said resolutely, shaking his head firmly. 

“Would you want us to drop you off, then? Where do you live by?” Kuroo asked, and the poor guy looked so confused that he dropped the subject entirely. “Okay. Can you, uh, give us a sec and not wander off?” After a nod, he took Bokuto to the side for a little powwow. 

“We have a third soulmate? Is that possible?” Kuroo asked Bokuto with furrowed eyebrows. 

“I dunno! Probably? Tetsu, he looked so sad! We didn’t even know about him, and he thought he was gonna be alone forever!” Bokuto said with such compassion, glancing back to the guy with soft eyes. “We can’t just leave him here!” 

“No. He’s drunk, Kou! He might not know what he’s talking about!” Kuroo protested, but Bokuto was quick to retaliate. 

“C’mon! Even if he’s not our soulmate, he’s still gotta be important, right? It didn’t happen for no reason!” God, no. Bokuto had pulled out the puppy eyes, the ones that Kuroo was weak to. The guy was a complete stranger, but… admittedly, Bokuto was right. He had to be important, otherwise their wrists wouldn’t have been burned. 

“Alright, we can take him home and figure it out, but not a word until we’re sure of this. If he’s so affected by his soulmates, I don’t want to disappoint him if we aren’t. Plus, if he robs us, I’m blaming you.” Kuroo grumbled, Bokuto pumping his fist victoriously as they both turned back to him. 

“What’s your name?” Kuroo asked him, figuring that if they were gonna take him home, then they might as well know what to call him. 

“Tooru.” He smiled widely, managing to not slur his words at all- his expression looked so carefree and happy at that moment. It sent his heart reeling in a way that even Bokuto hadn’t. It was different and powerful. Maybe he was right… 

“Well, I’m Kuroo and that’s Bokuto. We’re gonna take you home so you don’t pass out here, alright?”

\---------------- 

Oikawa had woken up to a pounding headache, his face scrunching up before his eyes even opened. To make matters worse, by the dull burning he felt in his eyes, he had probably slept in his contacts. Lovely. He managed to open one eye before panic set in. 

This was definitely not the house party that he went to, nor was it his and Iwaizumi’s apartment. 

Shit. 

His mind went into a whirl. Did he do anything embarrassing? Did he sleep with someone? No, he wouldn’t, would he? Sure, he was a hoe, but he didn’t do one night stands with guys he didn’t know, and he definitely didn’t recognize the place. It was a shabby little apartment, clothing and old food bags near him from the couch he was sitting on. He heard people talking quietly over in some other direction, as well. 

Well. Time to figure out where he was. 

He sat up far too quickly, groaning and stretching. There was too much daylight and it made him cringe a bit, but he would manage. The quiet conversation suddenly stopped, and a loud voice came from some other area. 

“Hey, you’re alive!” It was jovial and perky, way too perky for ass o’clock in the morning. Definitely not his Iwa-chan, then. Grumbling under his breath he turned to see two… really hot guys. Damn. If he did have a one-night stand with these two, or either of them, for that matter, then at least he did well for himself. 

The one who had spoken was brawny and tall, with a terrible dye-job and bright eyes. The other one was leaner and taller still, with tanned skin and a kind of smirk that sent shivers down his spine. 

“Who are you? What happened?” Oikawa groaned, rubbing his eyes blearily as the two glanced at each other. 

“We had a hot threesome, and you passed out while you were sucking my dick.” The dark-haired one said without batting an eyelash, and Oikawa was quiet for a moment. 

“Nice try, but I always finish the blowjobs I give. What really happened?” Oikawa huffed, and the brawny one laughed. 

“You’re good! Usually people can’t tell when Tetsu’s fucking with them. We partied together for a while last night, and you had a fuckin’ lot to drink. I didn’t want to leave my new buddy passed out on the couch over there, so I convinced Tetsu to let you stay!” He chirped happily. 

Yeah, that sounded like something he’d do. “Tetsu?” Oikawa echoed warily, glancing over to the dark-haired one, who he could safely assume was Tetsu. 

“Kuroo Tetsurou, and my soulmate Bokuto Koutarou, at your service,” He replied smoothly. “Nothing against you personally for not wanting you to stay, just that the last guy we let stay here almost got away with our old Xbox.” 

That got a little snort out of Oikawa, but he was a little disappointed. Soulmates, huh? Too bad, he would have joined that in an instant. Soulmates tended to stick to each other when it came to sex, though. “Oikawa Tooru. So I’m not your first charity case?” He was a little less polite than usual, but sue him- his hangover was a bitch.

“What can I say? Kou has a big heart and I struggle when it comes to saying no to him,” Kuroo shrugged, then jerked his head over in their direction. “Anyways, get over here. His pancakes are legendary.” Bokuto waved his spatula in emphasis, wiggling his eyebrows playfully. Oikawa debated it- staying on the warm couch with blankets was rather appealing, but so was hot food and hot men. Pouting, he draped the blanket around his shoulders and shuffled over to the counter, sitting down next to Kuroo while Bokuto flipped pancakes. 

“You two always treat your dates so nice?” Oikawa asked, easing up a bit when he smelled those pancakes. Heavenly. Any foul mood of his could be made better with food. 

“Only the cute ones.” Bokuto chimed with a chuckle, and Kuroo snorted. 

“Seriously, though, it was fun to hang out with you last night, even if you were drunk off of your ass.” Kuroo allowed, and it sent a little twang through Oikawa’s heart. The brunet glanced at his wrists - two tattoos? One soulmate, though. For just a moment, Oikawa allowed himself to hope, until he realized that duh, they probably would have told him already if they were all soulmates. He had dreamed about the theoretical meeting that they would have for ages and ages, and this was so far from them that he doubted that they were anything but hot strangers. Whatever.

“You should see me when I’m sober.” Oikawa shot back with a little grin, even if his head felt like it had been crushed by a steamroller. 

“We want to, actually,” Bokuto interjected, coming back to the island and putting some fresh pancakes onto each of their plates. “Hang out with you more, I mean. If that’s cool with you?” He asked hopefully, and wow, Oikawa knew what Kuroo meant. Even with that buff look, Bokuto was the picture of innocence in that moment, and he sounded so genuine. He glanced over at Kuroo, who looked rather pleased with himself. He knew that Oikawa was in, hook, line, and sinker. 

“Sure, why not?” He said, spearing a few pancakes and digging in. Bokuto and Kuroo smiled to each other, filling the rest of Oikawa’s morning with laughter and jokes.

Soon enough, there was a knock on the door- a guy named Iwaizumi was there to pick him up. The roommate, apparently, was used to losing him constantly so he just put a tracker app on his phone. 

Once they left, Bokuto looked at Kuroo hopefully. 

“I really like him, Tetsu.” He said quietly. 

“I know, babe, I do too. Did you get a good look at his tattoos?” Kuroo asked gently, taking his hand and leading him back into the apartment. 

“Yeah. They’re what we said last night, for sure.” He said solemnly. 

“Well. Google, our lord and savior, what answers do you have for us? Kuroo hummed, taking him to the couch and pulling up a search browser on his laptop. After chewing his lip for a moment, he searched for ‘red tint edge of soulmate tattoo meaning’. A few results popped up, and Kuroo clicked on one of the articles. 

“The Rosacea Effect - How Even the Future can be Unsure,” Bokuto read the title, continuing as Kuroo scrolled down. “The Rosacea Effect is rare and confusing, even for modern science. These tattoos show up on one of the two, but not on the other, because there’s a chance that they might not meet. It brings into question how valid our futures are and how much the force that give us as humans can really know about the fickle thing we call human nature. This is found primarily in the less common polyamory soulmates, with three or more partners. The unfortunate third or so will have the red tinged on the outside of their tattoo along with its natural color, signaling that their major life decisions may lead to them not meeting their soulmates at all.” Bokuto finished quietly, turning on instinct back to the doorway where they had said goodbye to Oikawa. 

“He found us though, Kou. You don’t need to be sad.” Kuroo murmured gently, kissing his cheek to try and nudge him forward. 

“You’re right, sorry. Uh, anyways, continuing on,” Bokuto shook himself out of it and continued to read the article. “The other two soulmates would live unawares about this possible third unless they meet. In that case, the words they speak to each other are tattooed to them on the spot.” He finished, sitting back and grabbing Kuroo’s hand. 

“What are we gonna do? He’ll be pissed at us if we tell him now, and he’ll be even more pissed at us if we tell him later!” Bokuto whimpered, burying his face in Kuroo’s shoulder. Given, Oikawa would be rightfully pissed at them for not telling him, but that’s not the point. 

“But don’t you think that after all of this talk about his soulmates being better off without him, he’ll just push us away?” Kuroo pointed out, bringing his hand up to slowly comb through Bokuto’s hair. 

“... Yeah… He said he wanted us to be happy. He was convinced that we didn’t need him,” Bokuto paused for a minute, clearly gathering his thoughts. Kuroo waited patiently. “I don’t think that we need him right now, either. I want him. I want him to come and hang out with us, I want to be around him, and I want him to feel like he belongs with us. But we don’t need him yet, you know?” 

Kuroo hummed and nodded in agreement. “Yeah. We’ll probably need him eventually, though. So, let’s get to know him first. Have him hang out with us a lot, feel like he’s not such a third wheel. He needs to feel like he’s a part of us.” 

“And when the time is right, we tell him and everything will be great!” Bokuto beamed, and Kuroo couldn’t help but grin along with him. 

“Sounds like a plan to me, Kou.” 

\----------------

At first, Oikawa was highly suspicious of Bokuto and Kuroo’s offer to hang out a lot more. While he had fun at their little apartment that morning, they were still virtually strangers who had only partied with him once. It seemed a little weird. Nevertheless, they had exchanged phone numbers before they left, and not an hour or so after he left, his phone began to ping. 

[You have been added to the “PARTY HARD SLEEP HARDER” Group Chat] 

Bokuto: hey oikawa!!!!!!   
Kuroo: listen bo won’t shut up about Black Panther since he saw it with one of our friends   
Kuroo: even though he promised to see it with me first but whatever   
Bokuto: I THOUGHT WE WERE OVER THIS  
Kuroo: never   
Kuroo: but anyways wanna come see it with us? 

Oikawa laughed quietly at the antics of those two, smiling softly. 

“Are those the two guys that looked like they were going to eat you?” Iwaizumi asked lazily as he walked over, clearly seeing the dreamy look on his face and clocking it immediately. 

“Hey,” Oikawa protested, a smile growing on his face. “Only one of them was planning on it, so don’t be jealous, Iwa-chan.” He cooed, winking at him as Iwaizumi rolled his eyes. 

“Just wear protection and don’t be gross. Or have fun, at least.” Iwaizumi grumbled, walking over and sitting down on the living room floor to fold their collective laundry. 

Oikawa: i’d love to see it with you guys! is 7:00 okay with you guys for tomorrow? 

He texted them primly before focusing on his best friend, grinning with a malicious intent shining in his eyes. 

“Aww, Iwa-chan, look at you giving out advice like the true aging mother that you are! Don’t worry, I’ll always look to you as a prime example. Besides,” He smiled brightly, oozing fake sweetness. “You’re everything I want to be when I’m fifty seven!” 

“That’s it, come here you little shit!” Iwaizumi exclaimed, throwing the shirt he was folding to the ground and running to Oikawa, who yelped and scurried away with a grin. They circled around the house a few times before Iwaizumi finally caught up and messed up his hair maliciously. 

“Mean!” Oikawa pouted, but Iwaizumi clapped back immediately. “Well-deserved.” Huffing to himself, Oikawa couldn’t really deny that, so he went back to the couch and flopped back down into his original position, where he found a few more notifications. 

Bokuto: works for us!!!!   
Kuroo: we can pick you up around 6:45, see you then! 

Seeing that made his chest flutter a little bit, even though it shouldn’t have. They just wanted a friend to hang out with, just a friend. He had to get that in his head. 

\---------------- 

After that movie time just flew by for them, and before they knew it, they were together all the time. They usually went out to eat, the three of them, trying out new and ridiculous places all the time. Either that, or they stayed in, all huddled up on the couch as they watched stupid reality TV shows. Oikawa became a frequent visitor to their house, with excuses or bribery of food as he pranced in with long legs and a charming smile. Kuroo always was gracious, even though he greeted him every time with some version of ‘God, why is there a stalker at my door?’. Bokuto was always genuinely excited to see him, throwing his arms around him happily with just the right amount of force that was slightly strangulating but still pleasant.

Oikawa started to feel like he belonged with them on that ratty couch, giggling deliriously with Bokuto at three am and bantering back and forth with Kuroo over every meal. He was the addition to their game nights, their plus one for events, and their confidante whenever something happened. It wasn’t just Kuroo and Bokuto, plus Oikawa. It was all of them, a solid unit in all things that weren’t romantic. 

And Oikawa was honestly happier than he had been in months. 

Then, the flirting slowly began. The slight touches that left his skin sparking, the suggestive wordplay that sent shivers down his spine. Bokuto was just a tactile person, he knew that, but he had seen him around other people. Not just around other people, but around his best friend, Akaashi. With him, it was more of arm-touching and friendly slaps on the back. With Oikawa himself, it was hugging from behind and demanding cuddles on the couch, grabbing his hand as they walked and the occasional and surprising kisses on his cheek. It drove him absolutely mad. 

Kuroo was similarly just a flirty person, but god, it seemed like he went from a thirty to a two hundred whenever Oikawa breathed. Constant innuendos, jokes about threesomes, anything and everything. And usually, Oikawa could easily handle that and throw it right back at him. He did do that. But that wasn't what got to him. It was the smaller words, the kinder ones that he showed when it was just the three of them. The way he made sure that he got enough sleep when Oikawa was at their apartment, the way he coaxed him out of any nerves he had, and the simple compliments without any teasing inflection in his voice that made the brunet just melt. 

It began to scare the shit out of him, because they meant so much to him. He had grown so close, shared so much, and let those two become such a big part of his life. What if he was misreading this all? He was so head over heels that he wouldn’t put it past himself to delude himself into seeing something that was never there to begin with. Sure, they were amazing with him, but before that, they were still amazing. Oikawa needed them. He just wasn’t sure if they needed him. 

So he would stay quiet. Smile, pretend like everything was okay, because who was he if Oikawa Tooru was not an actor? As he stood at their apartment door, his second home, he was determined to not let anything show. He could not be pushed to the edge, even if the more he hung out with them, the more his heart broke and became unstable. He could do this. He had to. 

On the other side of the door, in their tiny living room, Bokuto and Kuroo were tangled up in each other, simply laying there and looking up at the ceiling. 

“I thought he would have gotten the message by now.” Kuroo hummed, playing softly with Bokuto’s hair as he thought back to the brunet. At first, they were going to tell him after that movie, but Oikawa always seemed to try and distance himself, not overstep his boundaries despite how he flirted back at him. So, Bokuto and Kuroo both decided to slowly up the ante and do more, try to be as obvious as they could without telling him explicitly. It was okay to be too much, to overstep boundaries, because that’s what they themselves were already doing. 

“Yeah.” Bokuto murmured quietly, letting his eyes flutter open as his lips tugged downward slightly. They both loved Oikawa, there was no question about that. Oikawa was a firecracker, doing what he wanted, when he wanted to do it. He invited himself into their little world and spiced it up, adding fun and new places to go to like little hole-in-the-wall shops and cool museums that he didn’t even know existed. He was exciting, fun, and above all, caring. 

The first time he saw Bokuto on a particularly bad low swing, Kuroo wasn’t home from work yet and the brunet barged in like he normally did, but instead he saw Bokuto just silently crying on the couch. Without a word leaving his lips, Oikawa calmly closed the door, briskly walked over to him, and brought him into a tight hug. He didn’t ask, and he didn’t need to know. Bokuto had just started to bawl, all of his emotions being let out as they just sat there, and by the time he had gotten it all out of his system, Kuroo had come back and used those magic words of his to show him that everything was going to be okay. Throughout the whole thing, Oikawa had been so understanding, and not many people could do that. 

“I want him with us, Tetsu. I need him.” Bokuto said softly, looking up at him with concern. 

“I know, Kou, I do too,” Kuroo sighed, kissing his forehead gently. He wanted to tell him, they both wanted to. The only thing that made Kuroo hesitant was that he could read Oikawa like a book when it came to anything but this. What he really wanted out of them. He could tell when the mask was on when he was happy, sad, angry, or any shade of emotion in between and crack it apart like it was an eggshell. When they were flirting, though, he couldn’t see if it meant anything to Oikawa, if this was a joke to him or not. But maybe… maybe it was worth it this time. “I think we should tell him, the next time we see him.” 

Bokuto immediately sat up straight, looking at him with wide, hopeful eyes. “You think so, Tetsu?” He asked, his emotions clear as day in his face. 

“Now or never, I think.” Kuroo confirmed, and Bokuto just lit up like a little kid on Christmas day. He beamed and hugged Kuroo tightly, when suddenly, the doorbell rang. Reality was upon them already? 

“If it’s my favorite stalker, you know where the key is!” Kuroo called from the couch, and it was easy to hear his grin in his voice. They heard a giggle, a click of the lock, and the door opening. 

“Wow, not even coming to greet your guest at the door? What happened to your manners, Kuroo?” Oikawa called from the front, taking off his shoes and shutting the door behind him as he walked into the living room. The state that they were in left him unphased on the outside, but for him, it was only more evidence of how they were just fine without a third. He probably couldn’t even fit with them on that- 

“Oikawa! Come on, join us!” Bokuto piped immediately, his face absolutely glowing at the sight of him, and dammit, he could never say no to him. He knew it, Bokuto knew it, and Kuroo most definitely knew it, based on his smirk and his come-hither eyes. 

“I can join you on the floor next to you, there’s no room.” Oikawa hummed logically, starting to try and get down onto the carpet when an arm shot out and pulled him into two bodies. 

“No, you’re too pretty to lay on the ground!” Bokuto protested on his right, his head tucked into the corner of Oikawa’s neck as Kuroo smoothly slid closer so that the brunet was now in the middle of them. 

“I know I am, but sometimes sacrifices must be made.” Oikawa said, chuckling nervously, but then Kuroo’s hands wrapped around his waist and brought his attention to the taller of the two. 

“Oikawa, we just want to cuddle with you. Is that so wrong? Just enjoy it.” Kuroo murmured lowly, and there were shivers going down his spine. 

“You’re the absolute worst, Kuroo Tetsurou.” Oikawa huffed, his lips pursed together as he reluctantly relaxed. Bokuto beamed up at him, nuzzling into him. 

“He is, but you still hang out with us!” Bokuto chirped, and Kuroo scoffed in mock offense as the other two laughed. 

“I only tolerate him for you, Bokuto dear.” Oikawa said dramatically, winking playfully at him, though inside, he could feel that insecurity building up, bubbling closer and closer to the surface. Sure, they had all cuddled together before, but this was different. Kuroo was shirtless for some reason, Bokuto lips were brushing his neck as he spoke, and it all felt way more seductive than any other time. It was all so close, and yet so far. Too real, too close to home, he didn’t know how much more he could take of this before breaking out with some excuse. 

“Oh please, you know you love me,” Kuroo murmured slowly with a low chuckle, shifting so that his hand cupped Oikawa’s cheek and gently turned it to face him. There were so close that he could count the eyelashes on his face if he wanted to, and he could feel himself getting redder. Oh, no. Not happening, this was not happening. Kuroo was leaning in, and suddenly, the joke wasn’t funny anymore. The look in those dark eyes wasn’t malicious, but something more raw and so unreadable to him. “And actually, we-” Kuroo started, but it was too much now. 

“No,” Oikawa said quietly, and suddenly, both of the other two went dead silent. “I can’t, I can’t. This isn’t funny anymore, stop it.” Fuck, he sounded far more vulnerable then he ever wanted to be. 

“What do you mean, Oikawa?” Bokuto asked, and the genuine hurt on his face made the brunet’s heart break. This time, when he moved to get up, there was no protest. You could hear a pin drop, and if there was tension before, it was nothing compared to this. 

“This… this stupid game, flirting and not flirting. One minute I think I might really have a chance and then the next I see you both perfectly together and I know that I shouldn’t be a part of that. That I can’t be a part of that,” He couldn’t bear to look at either of them in the eyes, say anything, do anything. He had to get out of there, he had to leave. “I should go.” 

“No, you shouldn’t.” Kuroo rumbled quietly, getting up and grabbing his hand to try and make him stay. Oikawa quickly jerked his hand out of his grasp, hurt and anger burning in his eyes as he looked up at him. That was the biggest mistake, because the most jarring thing was how upset Kuroo looked. He had never seen him look so concerned, remorseful, and frankly, desperate. It had always been snarky, happy, playful Kuroo, so to see him like this made him realize that this wasn’t just about him.

“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t.” Oikawa whispered after a few moments, feeling his resolve crumble under his gaze. Kuroo was about to open his mouth and say before Bokuto blurted out something that the brunet would have never expected in about a million years. 

“Because you’re our soulmate and we love you!” He exclaimed, jumping up from the couch to be with them but careful not to touch Oikawa in such a fragile state like Kuroo had tried to. 

Those sent Oikawa reeling, his anger being replaced by immediate confusion. 

“No, you’re not?” Oikawa denied, but it was a slow denial that was almost a question. He couldn’t just believe that after all this time, all this denial and secret emotions and conflict that it was just a fact. He grabbed his wrist as he spoke, his thumb brushing over the tattoos that had plagued his mind his entire life. He didn’t look at the words inked onto his skin. He couldn’t.

“Yes, we are. All of us.” Kuroo broke the news gently, letting Oikawa get a good glimpse of both of their tattoos. ‘Hey, you okay there?’ and ‘How many tattoos do you have’, on were on his own wrists, and ‘Is your hair okay there?’ and ‘Your hair isn’t okay there.’ were on Kuroo and Bokuto’s wrists respectively. Oikawa hadn’t paid them much mind before, because he didn’t even want to think about something that he knew couldn’t have been real. 

“No, but I would have remembered…” Oikawa trailed off, trying to think about the first time he met them through his emotional fog. No, he met them in the morning at their apartment, and- oh. Oh, my god.

“You didn’t, though.” Kuroo continued softly. Oikawa had been blackout drunk, so of course he wouldn’t have remembered. Suddenly, everything made sense. The flirting, the touching, the desperation. 

“... So, what? Were you guys just not going to tell me, keep me in the dark?” Oikawa spat bitterly, looking between the two. “Was saying that ‘hey, by the way, you’re also the person that we might spend the rest of our lives with’ not important? Because it’s not like I was just going to suddenly wake up and remember. Not at this point. Were you guys just trying to seduce me or some shit? Or did you guys just not want me at all?” He was hurt, confused, and angry that this had been hidden from him, not fully processing or believing anything that they said right now because it just seemed too perfect of a solution to actually be real. 

“You know that’s not true, Tooru.” Kuroo said with pursed lips and looking like he had just been slapped. Bokuto looked like he was close to tears, and he just couldn’t take it anymore. 

“We didn’t think that you’d believe us then, either,” He piped up, his voice a little shaky but his eyes clear and determined. “You told us when you were drunk that you didn’t want to find your soulmates, ‘cause they’d already be happy without you. We thought that you’d push us away if we told you at first, because you wanted us to be happy, so we wanted you to feel like you were wanted before we said anything.” Bokuto sniffled, and Oikawa felt all of his anger start to wash away, because honestly? That’s probably what he would have done. Cut them off, push them away before he got close and wanted to ruin them with his own selfishness. 

“The more time we spent with you, the more we tried to send that message, bring you closer to us. We didn’t know how much that was affecting you, otherwise we would have told you sooner,” Kuroo whispered, and the brunet felt his eyes starting to water a little bit. “But we both want you in our lives. All of us, together.”

“I-” Oikawa feels silent tears start to flow, completely overwhelmed and unsure of whatever is happening. This can’t be real, nothing this good could ever happen to him. It just can’t. “I just need time, I’m sorry-” He shook his head, backing up and away before sprinting out the door before either of the two could react. 

Kuroo had thought that Oikawa would accept it, and they could all hug and be happy, but to have him run away? He simply stood there, frozen and unsure, while Bokuto could only start to cry. Kuroo snapped himself back into reality, but by that time, he knew that Oikawa could have gone anywhere. Grabbing his phone, he tried to call Oikawa at least five times in a row, each one not even ringing twice before his answering machine picked up. 

“Fuck!” He yelled, his anger and frustration causing him to throw his phone viciously onto the couch as he raked his hands through his hair. Bokuto hiccuped and looked at him with wide eyes as his crying stopped, and he walked over to grab his own phone. Instead, he called a different number, someone who he hoped would help them. 

“Hello?” A gruff voice answered as Bokuto put it on speaker, and Kuroo immediately spoke. 

“Do you know where Oikawa is? Is he okay?” Kuroo demanded, and there was immediately silence on the other end. 

“No, I don’t. What do you mean, is he okay?” Iwaizumi asked suspiciously, and the two exchanged a look. Oikawa hadn’t told him yet. Kuroo sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose and shaking his head. 

“Look, long story short, Kou and I fucked up, big time. We accidentally pushed him a bit too far and we told him that we were soulmates.” 

“He knows that you guys are soulmates.” Iwaizumi stated in confusion, thinking that they meant just the two of them. 

“No, all of us.” Bokuto spoke up, his voice a little raspy and emotional but an improvement from before. 

“... Fuck,” Iwaizumi said after a pause, some rustling from the other line. “No wonder he freaked out, he’s been tearing himself up over you guys since day one. Is he not there?” 

“He ran out.” Bokuto murmured quietly, and Iwaizumi huffed under his breath that sounding something like ‘stupid little-’. 

“Listen, his tattoos have shaped a lot of his mindset. I think it’d be better for him to explain it, but he really does love you guys. I’ll hunt him down, don’t worry.” Iwaizumi said- the rustling was probably him getting his coat on to go and look. 

“We’re coming with.” Kuroo said immediately, and Bokuto echoed that at the same. However, they were both shut down. 

“No. Seeing you guys would only make him run again. I want to hear his side of the story, and then I’ll bring him back to the apartment. If I think that he’ll be stable enough to see you guys and work this out with him, then I’ll text you. If not, then you’ll just have to wait.” With that, there was a click, and the line went dead before either of them had the chance to argue. Bokuto took in a shuddery breath, looking up at Kuroo with such a broken look in his eyes, and the worst part of it was how it was exactly mirrored in Kuroo’s face. They had just lost someone so important to them, maybe for good, and all they could do was hug each other tightly and hope that they could see him again. 

\---------------- 

“Well, you’ve caused a lot of trouble over nothing.” The voice that came from behind Oikawa was berating and familiar, one that he needed to hear the most at that exact moment. The brunet whirled around and got up from the wood chips that he was sitting in, rushing forward and hugging Iwaizumi, who gladly returned the embrace. Iwaizumi was the only one who would be able to find him here, anyways. He always came back to the park where they played when they were little when he was upset and needed somewhere to think. It helped him clear his head. 

“I don’t know what to do, Iwa-chan.” He whispered to him, and suddenly, they were five again, in the same park where they played and scraped their knees and went on adventures. They were five, and Tooru was crying, wailing to the one person who he trusted the most. They were bigger and older now, but that hadn’t changed as Oikawa sniffled and shuddered in Iwaizumi’s arms.

“You know, I got the weirdest phone call an hour and a half ago.” Iwaizumi said, gently letting him go to look at him as he fully ignored what Oikawa just said. “It was from these two people who sounded so distraught about you. One of them sounded like he had been crying, and the other sounded like he was ready to scream in frustration over losing you. Both of them would have turned the world upside down to find you.” He said pointedly, and that only brought the tears from before rushing back down his cheeks silently. 

“They don’t need me.” Oikawa said quietly. “They can survive just fine on their own and be perfectly happy. They were before, and they will be now.” 

“Really, now? They didn’t sound like it, to me. Besides, you don’t need me, either. You can survive perfectly fine on your own. But will you be happy? Will I be happy? No. I need you in my life, and visa versa. So yeah, Bokuto and Kuroo can survive. They did before, back when they didn’t know you existed. But will they be happy now, after they’ve spent so much time with you and fallen head over heels for you? I don’t think so. And neither will you.” Iwaizumi replied firmly, his eyes boring into Oikawa’s very soul. That cut deep, and slowly, he was realizing how selfish and stupid he was being. It wasn’t like he was the only one who felt like this, needed the others. Tears began to fall with a silent remorse before he could even think of the words.

“I hurt them so much, Iwa-chan, I didn’t mean to.” Croaked, broken words finally came as the big, fat tears rolling steadily down his cheeks. He furiously wiped at his eyes at the realization. 

“I know you didn’t, you wouldn’t do that on purpose.” Iwaizumi agreed softly, letting him pull himself together instead of babying him any longer. 

“I don’t know what to do. I can’t apologize for something like this, it won’t make up for it,” He whispered, his tears slowly becoming a silent, steady stream as wiped them away. “I just… I wanna go home.” 

Iwaizumi looked at him for a little while, saying nothing as Oikawa’s tears began to dry his emotions became worn. “Okay, let’s go. We’ll talk about this after you’ve cleaned up.” Oikawa nodded wordlessly and went into the car with him, and Iwaizumi followed suit with the silence. He needed time to think it through, and he game that to him. 

When they arrived, Oikawa entered the house and moved into his room in a trance, shrugging off his clothing and switching it for a loose t-shirt and sweatpants. He removed his contacts and put his thick black frames on, sighing and slipping into his bed. 

“Hey,” Iwaizumi muttered, sitting down on the side of his bed. Oikawa huffed as he glanced over at him. “Well, someone’s feeling better.” He chuckled, and the brunet shrugged. 

“I have a clearer head now. I just... don’t think I can see them, Iwa-chan. I can’t bear to see the looks on their faces.” Oikawa said quietly, letting his eyes flutter shut as his mind flashed back to the sadness and hurt on their faces. Now, he was afraid it would be anger or bitterness instead. 

“You can’t avoid them forever.” Iwaizumi pointed out, but Oikawa just buried himself further into the covers. 

“I can avoid them for a while.” Oikawa corrected childishly, and his friend rolled his eyes. 

“You know the sooner you talk to them and explain, the sooner you can be happy and have two goddamn boyfriends?” Iwaizumi chided, but it was only met with silence. His fate was sealed, then. 

“Your choice, stupid. I’m gonna get some green tea from the store, we’re all out. I’ll be back in a little while.” He murmured. 

“Don’t be long.” And with that, Iwaizumi left, and it was just him and his thoughts. 

\---------------- 

Bokuto and Kuroo stood outside the door, looking at it apprehensively. Iwaizumi had given them the go-ahead, and they had immediately rushed over anxiously. Kuroo didn’t show it - his face was unreadable, except for the occasional flash of worry in his eyes. Bokuto, on the other hand, was fidgeting nonstop. Bokuto took the key from under the mat, like Iwaizumi had instructed them, and unlocked the door. Quietly, they came in and took off their shoes. Bokuto grabbed Kuroo’s hand and squeezed it as they walked to Oikawa’s room. 

The door creaked open, and Oikawa groaned from inside. 

“Iwa-chan, just let me wallow in my feelings.” He whined, his voice scratchy from crying as his face remained buried in a pillow. Kuroo and Bokuto exchanged a look, and it was Kuroo who piped up. 

“Shit man, I think we’ve all done too much of that today.” He chuckled, because of course he would still be petulantant after all this.

Oikawa’s reaction was like a prey captured by its predator. Shooting up from his bed, he grabbed his glasses and threw them on to confirm what would be the cause of his growing horror. He slowly turned to them, eyes wide with fear and shock. He looked like a mess, with puffy eyes and electric-socket hair. They all stared at each other for a minute, the tension so thick that it was palpable. 

“Why did you come back?” Oikawa’s voice was so small, almost like that of a child’s. He looked so vulnerable in comparison to the strong, funny, determined person that they had grown to love. 

“Because we need you.” Bokuto’s voice rang loud and clear, even if it was weak from crying and thick with emotion. There could be no uncertainty in his tone. 

And there wasn’t. 

How? 

“No, you don’t,” Oikawa said quietly, sitting up straighter and scooted more towards the corner of his bed and up against the wall of his room, his supposed safe space. His words weren’t unsure like before, though, more strong. It was more of the nerves that caused his movements, it seemed. “You don’t need me, you really don’t. Neither of you.” 

Kuroo blanched at this, and though his worn emotion sparked a bit of his former fury, this was more of weary confusion. “Of course we do, why would we be here otherwise? How stupid-” He cut himself off, his lips pursing together to catch himself before he said something he’d regret. Sighing, he ran a hand through his hair and sat down, crossing his legs on the floor and looking up at him. Bokuto took the spinny chair, but didn’t even take a spin in it. His gaze remained on Oikawa. “We know that we didn’t go about it in the best way. Obviously. But this, this is what we were trying to avoid. You, running away from us.” 

“You sounded so bitter about it, when we first met you. Drunk you, anyway. Like you wanted to be with your soulmates, with us, but wouldn’t. We thought that if we told you that morning after, you’d run away before we could understand anything.” Bokuto added, picking at his nails, and now the bile was rising up the back of Oikawa’s throat. Of course. Of course they didn’t understand, how could they? 

“You don’t know what it’s like. I don’t blame you,” Oikawa murmured, and the other two leaned forward. Finally, an explanation. The brunet took a shuddery breath and began to speak. “I remember that my mom said fate always worked in weird ways, but always the best ways. Even if bad things happened, the path that people went down was the one that they were meant to be on. She was always so certain,” He chuckled bitterly. “So I counted the days til my birthday, til I could find my own constant. The person who would be my soulmate. Then, when I finally, finally get it, I see the red tints. Didn’t know what they meant.” 

“Oh.” Bokuto said quietly, his eyes widening slowly as he caught Oikawa’s drift. Kuroo was wordless. He needed to hear him, even if he knew what was going to be said, could feel it in his bones. 

“When I looked it up and found the Rosacea Effect, it felt like everything stopped around me. Suddenly, fate was uncertain about me. That I might belong somewhere. Might. I was an oddity, not really necessary in the end. I could only come up with that the reason why I was optional was because my soulmates would love me, yes. But they’d live better, happier lives without me.” He took a shuddery breath in, another out. Oikawa couldn’t bring himself to look either of them in the eye. “I didn’t want to do that to them. To you, either of you. So I cut myself off from romance, sleeping around but never staying long enough. No one deserved someone broken, right? The only constancy I allowed myself was family and Iwa-chan… Until you guys showed up out of nowhere.” Oikawa chuckled softly, a melancholy little sound that broke three hearts at once. “Had to be all perfect and taken, by each other no less. I… I didn’t think we were all soulmates, because you already had each other. Done deal, that was it,” He paused for a moment. “I fell for both of you before I could stop myself. Stupid, huh?” For a while, there was nothing but silence.

“We were all stupid, yeah. But I don’t think it was stupid that you fell for us.” Kuroo finally spoke up, resolved and present. He was still upset, angry, but its weariness looked far more obvious on his curved frame. Love would do that to a person. “It wasn’t stupid of us to fall for you, either. I would do it all over again, and I know Bo would, too.” 

“Of course I would!” Bokuto replied immediately, his eyes wide and glassy. He seemed almost offended that Kuroo would think otherwise. Oikawa was floored by this, confusion swirling and consuming every inch of him as his heart fluttered and banged on the cage he was keeping it in. No, no, he couldn’t let himself fall into their arms, he couldn’t, it would be better this way- 

“Why?” Oikawa’s words were as fragile as shattered glass, worried that he would break all over again. “I’m optional. You don’t need me. You’re probably better off without me.” His arguments were getting weaker by the second and the cage was growing warped and broken. His heart was shoving into it again and again, threatening to break free. Tears threatened to fall. 

Bokuto stood up from his chair and walked up to him, sitting down next to him on the bed. Kuroo got up and sat on the edge of his feet, looking at him with such conviction that he couldn’t tear his eyes away. They both knew that he was so close, they needed to act now. 

“Because nothing could be worse than a life without you.” Bokuto whispered, a quiet promise that was the final nail in Oikawa’s coffin. Everything broke, the persona of being fine, the pretend character who was fine with being single and sleeping around. His heart soared out and flew to them, spreading its wings for the first time in years. Tears began to fall again for what seemed like the millionth time, when he thought he couldn’t cry anymore because his body had become too tired to. They both surged forward, wrapping around Oikawa like a warm blanket, and he clutched them both tightly. It was like he thought that if he let go, they would disappear into the wind. 

“You’re with us. You met us. Even if it wasn’t sure then, I’m sure now that you’re meant to be with us. And you really are stupid if you think we’re gonna let you go again.” Kuroo murmured, running his hands through Oikawa’s hair while Bokuto gently wiped away his tears. A broken little laugh escaped all of them, harmonious and incredibly happy. 

“I love you both… s-so fucking much.” Oikawa’s voice was full of shaky inhales and choked, warbling sobs, but these tears were far better than any others shed before this. He was honestly, truly happy, and for the first time in his life, he could allow himself to fall deeper into them, into love, and it was the most incredible feeling. 

“I love you.” Bokuto whispered, pressing a chaste kiss to his forehead that spread warmth throughout Oikawa’s body in a manner of seconds. Two pairs of hands surrounded him, cradling him like no one else had and making him feel not just wanted, but needed. They needed him, just like how Oikawa needed them. 

“I love you, too.” Kuroo added on, his arms firmly around Oikawa’s waist to root him to the ground. If Bokuto was the one to comfort him, then Kuroo was the one to bring him back to reality, showing him how everything would be okay. 

And maybe, just maybe, it would be.

Epilogue: 

“Babe, please know that I really, really like your sister, but if she walks in on all of us again because of that stupid spare key you gave her I am going to lose my shit.” Oikawa threatened as he threw his phone across the couch. 

Bokuto snickered. “Well, she used to walk in on Tetsu and me a bunch! ‘S just the first time you’ve been in the mix.” He grinned at him, COMPLETELY UNBOTHERED, much to Oikawa’s frustration. 

“You say that like it makes it better!” He whined, covering his face with his hands in pure embarrassment. Usually he had little to no shame, but he drew the line at people who he’d met like maybe three times walking in on him being fucked by his boyfriends. If his Iwa-chan walked in? He would have taken his mouth right off of Kuroo’s dick, smiled sweetly, and said ‘Hey Iwa-chan, what’d you forget this time?’ because it would have been hilarious to see the pure annoyance and disgust on his face. 

“I thought you liked voyeur stuff though?” Kuroo poked his head in from the hall, plopping himself down on the couch next to him - Oikawa’s legs immediately went to settle on his lap. 

“NOT WHEN IT’S KOU’S SISTER!” Oikawa screeched, and Kuroo cackled like the witch he basically was. Little shit. That being said, it was concerning how endearing that ugly laugh was becoming to him. It was borderline cute. Someone kill him. 

“If it’s any consolation, she’s basically desensitized to it. She doesn’t care, at all. If I asked her, she’d probably rate how good of a job you were doing.” Kuroo mentioned so nonchalantly it made him more that a little worried. 

“You’ve asked her that?” Bokuto asked with a slight frown, flipping those signature pancakes that he had made that first morning that Oikawa had officially met them. It would always be one of his favorites.

“Eh, it’s come up a few times.” Kuroo shrugged. 

“Dude, gross,” Bokuto wrinkled his nose. “You’re getting, like, two less pancakes for that.” 

“Hey! Gross, yes. Informative? Also yes!” Kuroo defended, and Bokuto looked at him for a moment before smiling. 

“Aw, you know I can’t stay mad at you.” Bokuto cooed, and Kuroo blew him a little kiss. Oikawa watched all of this with mild horror. 

“More importantly, why would I want to know that?!” Oikawa asked Kuroo incredulously, but Kuroo had the audacity to return the look with just as much vigor.

“Unbiased opinion, duh.” Kuroo said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. 

“Why am I here. Why do I put up with you both-” At that, Bokuto swiveled his head over from the kitchen with those hurt puppy dog eyes and Oikawa just melted like he always did. “-Kuroo, why do I put up with you?” He corrected, and Kuroo stuck out his tongue. 

“Because you’re my boyfriend, nerd. Also, because you have a big fat crush on me.” Kuroo snickered, and Oikawa rolled his eyes. 

“It’s like, maybe a small one. Tiny.” Oikawa insisted, much to Kuroo’s glee. 

“That still means that it exists, though! Progress! Kou, babe, aren’t you so proud of him? He finally admitted that he kinda likes me!” Kuroo cooed over to Bokuto, who had been (adorably) very focused on the pancakes up until that moment. When he looked up, his golden eyes were slightly confused, but he tuned in just in time for the important part and it made him grin wildly. 

“Tooru, you did it! These pancakes are now celebratory, and also done! So get your cute asses over to the table!” Bokuto crowed brightly, turning off the stove gingerly (let’s not get into the many Kitchen Mishaps of Dumb, Dumber, and Bokuto - it would take far too long) and plating the pancakes. 

Kuroo promptly got up and made a beeline towards the table, Oikawa close behind. Once they got there, Oikawa hip-checked him with a grin. “I resent all that you have said to me this morning, so this is what you get!” He declared before leaning over and kissing Bokuto on the cheek. “Thanks for breakfast, Kou. Love you.” He cooed, and the other boy absolutely beamed at him. It was something that would always give Oikawa those butterflies in his stomach. 

“Oi, why are you always so sweet to him and never to me?” Kuroo protested lazily as they both all got their meals, and Oikawa softened a little bit even if a rather mischievous grin formed on his lips. 

“Aw, are you a little jealous, Tetsu? It’s okay, I love you too,” He said primly, leaning into his side and kissing his cheek as well. “Even if you’re both basically just man-children.” 

“You say that like you aren’t one.” Bokuto said immediately without any hint of teasing, and the following snorts of ugly laughter (Kuroo) and unattractive squawks of betrayal (Oikawa) were what often filled their household. 

It was always the little things, with them. 

They all kept each other sane and happy. There was always something new - a game to play, an inside joke to make, a new little fact that they had never known about each other even after all these years. Truly, that was the secret to their happiness. The fact that they would always grow together. They might not all have the same interests or ideas about everything, but they would create new ones and make choices together that would always shape their tomorrows. 

And now, looking down at the simple wedding band on his finger (one of three, to be exact) that shone in the morning sunlight, Oikawa knew that for him, being with them, laughing with them, and loving them would never truly be optional.

**Author's Note:**

> HI FRIENDS!!!!!
> 
> I know I've been gone for a while, and to be honest it feels good to be back. I can't guarantee that I'll be posting regularly, because it's been harder with my new college schedule and random spurts of motivation to write, but I can say that I've slowly gotten more into writing for the first time in ages. I appreciate you guys who have stuck with this series so long, so don't think that this is the end! I'll probably write some more soon. I missed you all so much and I hope you enjoyed this installment! <333 
> 
> Options: 
> 
> A) Bokuoi (pls i love them so much just consider it)   
> B) Akatsukki (imagine the long bean sarcastic boys)   
> C) Tananoya (e n e r g y)   
> D) Other, hmu! 
> 
> I'm not on my tumblr as much but please feel free to talk to me @decadentcandyeagle !!! I don't bite I promise lol  
> Or you can visit my art account @artscraftsandcandy on insta I'm on there more than other sites tbh  
> HAVE A GREAT DAY LOVELIES


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